Forever Protected
by the.silly.banana.muffin
Summary: He failed her--so horribly and so foolishly. And now she was gone forever. A songfic based from All Time Low's song "Remembering Sunday". Rated T for some slightly graphic scenes.


Heya, it's me again. Sorry if you read my previous fic, "The Perfect Failure", and now it's gone. For some strange reason, it ended up placing the whole entire story into italics and there was no way for me to fix it; so I had to delete it. Hopefully, I'll be able to repost it. On the other hand, if you have suggestions on how to stop the "italicizing" of everything, please feel free to help me out! (It did it on this story the first time, too).

This particular piece is a Cloud and Aerith piece, although I'm personally a Cloud and Tifa fan. It's just a little something I did in my spare time--and I know that the song doesn't _totally _match the storyline, but you can stretch your imaginations and make it work. :) Anyways, I always appreciate some constructive critisism, and me likeys reviews! Enjoy. ^_^

_He woke up from dreaming_

_And put on his shoes_

_Started making his way past two in the morning_

_He hasn't been sober for days_

Cloud lifted his sword high above his head.

...Why?

...What?

Why was he doing this?

What was he doing?

He shook his head, trying to free the incessant ringing from within. His sapphire eyes slowly dilated until they returned to a normal size, and his racing heart suddenly slowed to a steady thudding.

_It would be the right thing to do._

Cloud's eye twitched slightly. "Shut up..."

He was going insane. Jenova was going to get her way if this continued any further.

_Leaning now into the breeze_

_Remembering Sunday_

_He falls to his knees_

_They had breakfast together_

_But two eggs don't last like_

_The feeling of what he needs_

She looked up.

Cloud's eyes met two emerald orbs that glowed similarly to his. "...Aerith."

She smiled.

It was a smile that filled a person with warmth and, yet, sent chills down their spines. Maybe it was because it was a smile that many thought had died away long ago. Perhaps, however, that's what made it so special.

"...We've been looking for you everywhere. Tseng said you might be here."

The flower girl looked down for a moment at her clasped hands. After several minutes, she laughed softly.

Cloud cocked his head to one side. What was so funny?

Aerith slowly searched her surroundings. She frowned.

_Now this place seems familiar to him_

_She pulled on his hand with a devilish grin_

_She led him upstairs, she led him upstairs_

_Left him dying to get in_

The blonde did the same. Finally, the last clouds of fog drifted from his mind, and he was able to

think—on his _own. _Although the temple was dark; he could still make out vague, blurry outlines of statues and intricate designs on the wall. The glass upon which his feet stood on revealed shimmering water, where the ripples danced upon the seemingly-endless ceiling. It certainly looked ancient...as they waited in silence, a faint crumbling of the foundation beneath could be heard.

_Forgive me_

_I'm trying to find my calling_

_I'm calling at night_

_I don't mean to be a bother_

_But have you seen this girl?_

Cloud blinked. "It's two in the morning. Why did you leave in the middle of the night? You should have waited until morning—we could have all gone with you. It would be much more safe, too."

"They needed me now."

The blonde remained silent. He lifted an eyebrow.

Aerith laughed softly. "...The planet, and everybody in it. While I was trying to sleep, they kept telling me that it would be best if I came here, now."

_She's been running through my dreams_

_And it's driving me crazy, driving me crazy it seems_

_I'm going to ask her to marry me_

It's dangerous in the Forgotten City.

She could have been attacked by monsters; or killed by thieves...

But something kept her safe.

Something...

He knew that this was their last chance.

She was their last hope.

If she prayed for Holy, the world might stand a fighting chance against Meteor. On the other hand, however, Holy might end up being the very thing that destroyed the planet.

But there's always a fighting chance.

Once again, as if Aerith read the warrior's very thoughts, her warm smiled returned. As it always did, it sent a hot blush burning to his face, and those same chills slid down his back like cold water. It was that exact feeling that made his feel,oddly enough, at home. It made him feel that she wasn't concerned about who or what she saw on the outside of him; but inside of his heart. He wasn't being judged.

And those was only two of the things he liked about her smiles.

_Although she doesn't believe in love_

_He's determined to call her bluff_

_Who could deny these butterflies?_

_They're filling his gut_

...Aerith gasped.

Cloud's usually-calm, electric blue eyes grew wide as blood spilled forth at his feet; staining the glass-work beneath them.

…What?

What was happening?

His breath caught in his throat as her struggled to keep himself from vomiting. His heart suddenly dropped a thousand feet into his body, and his stomach lurched forward unpleasantly until it was tying knots.

She had a sword protruding straight from her chest. Her blood continued to drain out from the tip of the blade and onto the tiling before her. Her horrified eyes slowly shifted upwards, until they directly met with Cloud's.

_Waking the neighbors_

_Unfamiliar faces_

_He pleads though he tries_

_But he's only denied_

_Now he's dying to get inside_

...What?

What was going through her head?

Cloud was frozen. Although he tried desperately tried to move his body; nothing budged.

He could only imagine what she was thinking right then.

Was she in pain?

Was she dead, already? Her eyes were open, however they had now lost their vibrancy.

_Forgive me_

_I'm trying to find my calling_

_I'm calling at night_

_I don't mean to be a bother_

_But have you seen this girl?_

...Why?

Why did this have to happen?

He was supposed to be protecting her. That's why she had agreed to join them in the first place.

And he had failed.

Aerith now had a masamune impaled through her chest; and an unspoken prayer still left in her throat. And she did it, trying to save them all from a fate that was most likely inevitable.

The killer finally showed his face. His silver hair hid an evil, wicked smirk that showed no mercy between his hand, his sword, and the flower girl that was now slouched over it.

The sound of bones scraping metal was as disgusting as the sound of nails running across unfinished glass. The One-Winged Angel slowly, as if trying to purposely cause pain, pulled his sword back towards him. Aerith's limp body sluggishly slid off and fell forward towards Cloud.

Finally, his locked joints were now loose. He quickly rushed ahead of himself and caught her motionless figure, _praying _that there was still a breath in her body, and a pulse in her veins.

_She's been running through my dreams_

_And it's driving me crazy, driving me crazy it seems_

_I'm going to ask her to marry me_

Cloud didn't know what love really was...but he assumed this is what it felt like. His cheeks suddenly felt hot, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest when Aerith spoke to him. Maybe it was just because he was just getting used to having female companions again—SOLDIER didn't allow women to join the ranks.

And now he had let her die.

Cloud looked at her pale face. Her chest no longer rose and fell with each breath, but instead bled with a continuous flow. Her body no longer felt warm, but now felt cold with death. He looked up at the madman, leaning above the two with that same, unforgiving smirk. "...She's never going to laugh, she's never going to cry, she's never going to get mad, she's never going to smile again..."

_Don't pretend you have feelings._

_Because, after all..._

_You're just a puppet._

"Shut up! Shut up!" Cloud could no longer tell if he was screaming or not. The world around him seemed to have fallen mute.

And he was gone.

Sephiroth was gone again.

The blonde's eyes began to burn. They stung with hot tears that threatened to spill over; however they remained contained behind his lashes.

"...Cloud--"

He turned.

Tifa was standing there, her face now as pale as Aerith's. Her garnet eyes showed clear terror, and her body locked in a mortified stance. She slowly scanned the area, her terrified look only growing as she examined the blood dripping everywhere.

"...Sephiroth was here."

The barmaid spun on her heels. Her eyes fell upon Aerith's body. "Were you with her?"

Cloud nodded slightly. "...I tried to get to her—but Jenova got into my head again and started messing with me. I couldn't get to her in time..."

"...Look."

He turned back to face Tifa. She was lifting something out from the blood.

Tifa's voice cracked slightly. "...It's her bow."

"I know."

The two were silent for a moment as the massive shock nullified them.

Finally, Tifa spoke. She stared at him with glistening eyes. Her voice was soft and unsure. "...What do we do, now?"

Cloud turned to face the stairs.

Cid and Vincent stood before them.

That was the first time they had seen the ex-Turk's facial expression change.

_The neighbors said she moved away_

_Funny how it rained all day_

The water was much cooler than he had ever imagined to to be.

Perhaps it was because he was covered in Aerith's blood.

Small rain droplets steadily fell from the gray clouds above. Her blood-stained hand fell from below her waist into the water; diluting the water to a sickening maroon. Tifa and Cid's muddy shoes sloshed quietly from behind as they watched the fallen Ancient slowly succumb to the water, and her body slowly began to sink away from Cloud's arms. Vincent stood from behind the two of them; his eyes hidden behind raven-colored shafts of hair.

_I didn't think much of it then_

_But it's starting to all make sense_

Cloud frowned. The last outlines of Aerith's body slowly faded into the murk, and an intense wave of chills fell from his neck to the bottom of his spine as the flower girl's fingers gently brushed his ankle.

Her last touch.

Did she know what she was fated to do?

...Why?

Why did the planet have to take her away from them?

Why did the planet have to take her away from him?

And, now, one of the only things that had made him truly thankful in his cruel life was gone; sunken to the bottom of the Cetran Temple.

_Oh I can see now that all of these clouds_

_Are following me_

_in my desperate endeavor_

_To find my whoever_

_Wherever she may be_

But maybe he wasn't alone. Not quite yet.

Tifa was still there. He knew that she would always care for him—until the day she herself died.

And there was Cid, Vincent, and Barret. Although they weren't always the most practical or the most relaxed group of people he had known; he somehow fit right in. And it felt right. They were family.

It was then that Cloud knew that Aerith was well aware of what she was going to the temple to do.

To die.


End file.
